Earn Affordable College Credits-by-Exam in High School and Beyond
Psychology CLEP
Psychology Course Guide
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. It always makes the list of the top 10 most popular college degrees. It’s not surprising as many of us are interested in learning about human behavior. Psychology is also an interesting and applicable course for high school-age students when taught within the scope of the science.
The CLEP exam takes a fact-based approach. “The Introductory Psychology examination covers material that is usually taught in a one-semester undergraduate introductory course in psychology. It stresses basic facts, concepts and generally accepted principles in history, approaches and methods of psychology; biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception; states of consciousness; learning; cognition; motivation and emotion; personality; psychological disorders and treatment; social psychology; and statistics, tests and measurements.”
Unfortunately, many of the introductory psychology college courses are delivered with a purposeful culture-shocking agenda. I would rather have my own students CLEP the subject. Since there aren’t that many age-appropriate, Christian-worldview curricula that focus on the science behind the subject matter, and since I am a psychology major myself, I was eager to design my own curriculum. Having taught it to students in our homeschool co-op, it proved itself to be engaging and strong in helping students prepare for the CLEP. This Course Guide also makes an excellent homeschool co-op course. Details below.
This 100+ page Course-for-Credit Guide is a full-year curriculum that introduces students to the scientific study of psychology – an engaging course, often offered in both high school and as a college general education course. As a high school credit, it can be considered a social science or elective. This Course Guide is age-appropriate for high school students plus includes an optional component of guided CLEP exam prep.
Why a Psychology Course Guide? Our goal is to inspire students to want to learn about psychology and encourage them to ask: “What’s the evidence?” when encountering statements about human behavior. Students often find this information is applicable in their everyday lives and can be applied to a broad range of career fields. The difficulty educators find is the lack of age-appropriate material written from a Biblical perspective. We decided to solve that.
In addition to the Course Guide, students will need a copy of the corresponding text, available from online booksellers (Amazon or Addall): Understanding Psychology ISBN: 0078285712
What you have to say … “The curriculum is very balanced, educational and fun! It did a phenomenal job of educating me on a subject of which I knew nothing. It provided me with a basic knowledge of psychology, while emitting the information that, as a freshman in high school, I didn’t want, or need to learn. It pressed me to work hard and learn a lot in an enjoyable and efficient way. I am so glad that I studied this course.” ~Megan L., Student
Psychology is a Foundational Course for Other Social Science CLEP Exams
Psychology is the foundation to several other studies. Students who enjoyed and were strong in Psychology may want to consider these. My daughter, who was interested enough in psychology to major in it, took these exams in this order:
Introductory Sociology CLEP: I was teaching a 24-week Psych course so we studied for this concurrently since so many terms overlap. Depending on the depth of knowledge from the student, this may be a short 4-week study with the REA book and and InstantCert Flashcards.
Human Growth and Development CLEP: Just a few weeks after the Intro Psych course, just the REA and practice tests for this one. There are Instantcert cards as well. After reviewing the REA book, take a practice test to determine if your student needs additional study.
Educational Psychology CLEP: After HG&D, two more weeks, REA and practice exams and this one is good to go!
